Dodge Charger Downunder

[bullitt440]

Just taken delivery of my 68 Charger in Queensland Australia.  Not many down here - I expect she'll turn a few heads and drop a few jaws!!

She's not bad for a 45 year old and shouldn't take too much to get her up and running on the left hand side of the road    Needs the trunk pan replaced, along with a few other common fender rust spots.  Has powered drums all round, but I'd like to give her some disks up front.  Headlight actuators aren't working, but there are a spare pair included.  Not sure if they work.  Needs a new exhaust system, battery tray, washer bottle and window felts.

From what I know it was a 2 owner and the last guy had it in the family since the ealy 70's.  I believe it's all original, except the 383 has been replaced by a 440.

Appreciate any advice from those in the know. Had an Aussie Charger back in the 80's, but the big block Dodge is a very different beast!!

Cheers

[Mopar Nut]

Looks good, congrats.   

[Fred]

Welcome to the forum mate.  Always great to see another one being given a new lease on life.   
What are your plans for it?

[JB400]

Welcome to the forum.   Are your wheels aluminum or are those dirt track chrome wheels?

[bullitt440]

Welcome to the forum mate.  Always great to see another one being given a new lease on life.   
What are your plans for it?

Thanks mate.  The initial plan is to get her roadworthy, registered and just drive and enjoy it.  In a few years time a full resto is on the cards - I've always loved a certain movie car chase through the streets of San Francisco 

[bullitt440]

Welcome to the forum.   Are your wheels aluminum or are those dirt track chrome wheels?

They're aluminium with a nice polish but I'd ultimately love a set of Magnum 500's 

[Fred]

Welcome to the forum mate.  Always great to see another one being given a new lease on life.  
What are your plans for it?

Thanks mate.  The initial plan is to get her roadworthy, registered and just drive and enjoy it.  In a few years time a full resto is on the cards - I've always loved a certain movie car chase through the streets of San Francisco  

Ah! now your user name makes sense.  

Sounds good, just enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.  

When you finally get around to the resto, are you going to turn it into the Bullitt charger?

[bullitt440]

Welcome to the forum mate.  Always great to see another one being given a new lease on life.  
What are your plans for it?

Thanks mate.  The initial plan is to get her roadworthy, registered and just drive and enjoy it.  In a few years time a full resto is on the cards - I've always loved a certain movie car chase through the streets of San Francisco  

Ah! now your user name makes sense.  

Sounds good, just enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.  

When you finally get around to the resto, are you going to turn it into the Bullitt charger?

There's definately something appealing about black Chargers...

Still weighing up the possibilities, but the Bullitt Charger would be very cool.  I don't have anything against the General Lee, but I don't think the world needs another GL clone 

[Fred]

Welcome to the forum mate.  Always great to see another one being given a new lease on life.  
What are your plans for it?

Thanks mate.  The initial plan is to get her roadworthy, registered and just drive and enjoy it.  In a few years time a full resto is on the cards - I've always loved a certain movie car chase through the streets of San Francisco  

Ah! now your user name makes sense.  

Sounds good, just enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.  

When you finally get around to the resto, are you going to turn it into the Bullitt charger?

There's definately something appealing about black Chargers...

Still weighing up the possibilities, but the Bullitt Charger would be very cool.  I don't have anything against the General Lee, but I don't think the world needs another GL clone 

[polywideblock]

welcome to the forum       always good to see another ozzy      cool car

[Bob T]

Gidday mate, 68's see the best lookin ones, all those other guys are so misguided.
I seem to remember seeing a movie like that once
Black cars really suck to keep clean, just ask Fred  
Congrats and well done on the purchase anyway, whack up a few more pics when you get a chance


Bob in NZ

[charger Downunder]

Mate welcome  bet you can't wait to get stuck into that 68.

[tan top]

 hello & welcome      whats the plan with the charger ??

love the wheels 

[Fred]

Gidday mate, 68's see the best lookin ones, all those other guys are so misguided.
I seem to remember seeing a movie like that once
Black cars really suck to keep clean, just ask Fred  
Congrats and well done on the purchase anyway, whack up a few more pics when you get a chance


Bob in NZ

Yes it's a pain in the backside to keep it clean but you and I both know the effort is well worth it don't we Kelvin.  
When she gleams..........she gleams!
Besides, bullitt can't let a username like that go to waste, can he.

[Silver R/T]

Nice Charger, body is fairly straight and has cool rims. I'd probably paint it different color but keep the rims.

[bullitt440]

Gidday mate, 68's see the best lookin ones, all those other guys are so misguided.
I seem to remember seeing a movie like that once
Black cars really suck to keep clean, just ask Fred  
Congrats and well done on the purchase anyway, whack up a few more pics when you get a chance


Bob in NZ

Yes it's a pain in the backside to keep it clean but you and I both know the effort is well worth it don't we Kelvin.  
When she gleams..........she gleams!
Besides, bullitt can't let a username like that go to waste, can he.

It would also be a shame to not make full use of the personalised number plate 

I'd love to go black, but it all comes down to budget.  Hope to be financial enough in a few years to undertake the full body/paint resto. 

[bullitt440]

Gidday mate, 68's see the best lookin ones, all those other guys are so misguided.
I seem to remember seeing a movie like that once
Black cars really suck to keep clean, just ask Fred  
Congrats and well done on the purchase anyway, whack up a few more pics when you get a chance


Bob in NZ

G'day from across the ditch 

The 68 was the only choice for me.  I blame it all on 'that' film I saw back in the 80's - it left a huge impression on me 

Will post some more pics, but I've found most are too big for the site    Will have to downsize a few.

[bullitt440]

hello & welcome      whats the plan with the charger ??

love the wheels 

The initial plan is just to get is on the road and enjoy it.  It needs a few things done before it can be registered for the street.  Eventually, in a few years time she'll receive a full resto.  Lots of saving needed before that can happen 

A few people have commented on the wheels - are they not a very common style in the US?  They were very common over here in the 70's/80's.  I've had a number of cars in the past with similar 14 inch versions.

[bullitt440]

Nice Charger, body is fairly straight and has cool rims. I'd probably paint it different color but keep the rims.

Yeah, I'm not head over heels in love with the green.  I'm happy enough with it for the time being, but a change of colour is defintely on the cards. 

The body looks pretty good, with the trunk being the main problem area.  One of the first items up for purchase will be a replacement trunk pan.  Seems to be plenty of suppliers for parts in the US, but the freight is gonna hurt 

[JB400]

hello & welcome      whats the plan with the charger ??

love the wheels  

The initial plan is just to get is on the road and enjoy it.  It needs a few things done before it can be registered for the street.  Eventually, in a few years time she'll receive a full resto.  Lots of saving needed before that can happen  

A few people have commented on the wheels - are they not a very common style in the US?  They were very common over here in the 70's/80's.  I've had a number of cars in the past with similar 14 inch versions.

They are still around, but not too often used any more.   Same way with the Kelsey Hayes wheels.  I like them just for the fact that it is a little retro in a sea of either stock wheels, vectors, or huge 5 spokes like the Torq Thrusts.

[Fred]

Gidday mate, 68's see the best lookin ones, all those other guys are so misguided.
I seem to remember seeing a movie like that once
Black cars really suck to keep clean, just ask Fred  
Congrats and well done on the purchase anyway, whack up a few more pics when you get a chance


Bob in NZ

Yes it's a pain in the backside to keep it clean but you and I both know the effort is well worth it don't we Kelvin.  
When she gleams..........she gleams!
Besides, bullitt can't let a username like that go to waste, can he.

It would also be a shame to not make full use of the personalised number plate 

I'd love to go black, but it all comes down to budget.  Hope to be financial enough in a few years to undertake the full body/paint resto. 

Crikey! I'm surprised those plates were still available.  Good score. 

[Bob T]

Haha, good score on the plate mate  I've got the same one here 
We called them Tridents, cool wheels on anything, usually found on holden utes, xy falcons and Valiant Chargers  & Pacers

The color is fine, just get it on the road and put a couple of tanks of gas through it, that'll make your day, hell , it'll make your whole week! Mine was originally QQ1 blue, it was black when I got it, but a mate has a Charger 500 in F8 green on green and I must admit that its grown on me a lot , with the more pics of green cars I see on the net.

[MaximRecoil]

There's definately something appealing about black Chargers...

Still weighing up the possibilities, but the Bullitt Charger would be very cool.  I don't have anything against the General Lee, but I don't think the world needs another GL clone  

Plus '68s look odd as a "General Lee" anyway. Over half of the real Warner Bros. General Lees were '68s, but their "conversion" of them to roughly a '69 appearance was a quick hack job; i.e., the center divider piece from a '69 grille was pop-riveted in place, and two '69 tail light-shaped openings were cut into the '68 tail panel. On earlier shows they even left the round side marker lights in place, covered with orange paint. Later on, they shaved the side markers from both '68s and '69s, for the sake of continuity.

Your car is sure to turn heads over there regardless of how you paint it. A second-generation Charger can cause a stir anywhere these days, but I imagine that is especially true outside of the United States, where they are even more uncommon than they are here. The A-body Australian Charger was a cool looking car, but it pales in comparison to the real thing in my opinion.

Are you required to convert it to right-hand drive in order for it to be street legal over there?

[68r/t]

Congratulations on the car,,, Mine looked the same as yours when I got it and I was also thinking of going black but the thought of the constant dusting etc put me off.
I repainted mine in the original TT1 green and in the sun it looks great as the silver/gold metallic really comes out, mine has the pearl white interior which helps break up all the green also.

[bullitt440]

Congratulations on the car,,, Mine looked the same as yours when I got it and I was also thinking of going black but the thought of the constant dusting etc put me off.
I repainted mine in the original TT1 green and in the sun it looks great as the silver/gold metallic really comes out, mine has the pearl white interior which helps break up all the green also.

Wow!!  Your Charger looks fantastic and the green really is magnificent in the sunlight. 

Thanks for posting your pic - very inspiring 

[Fred]

Yes, nothing wrong with that at all. 

[bullitt440]

There's definately something appealing about black Chargers...

Still weighing up the possibilities, but the Bullitt Charger would be very cool.  I don't have anything against the General Lee, but I don't think the world needs another GL clone  

Plus '68s look odd as a "General Lee" anyway. Over half of the real Warner Bros. General Lees were '68s, but their "conversion" of them to roughly a '69 appearance was a quick hack job; i.e., the center divider piece from a '69 grille was pop-riveted in place, and two '69 tail light-shaped openings were cut into the '68 tail panel. On earlier shows they even left the round side marker lights in place, covered with orange paint. Later on, they shaved the side markers from both '68s and '69s, for the sake of continuity.

Your car is sure to turn heads over there regardless of how you paint it. A second-generation Charger can cause a stir anywhere these days, but I imagine that is especially true outside of the United States, where they are even more uncommon than they are here. The A-body Australian Charger was a cool looking car, but it pales in comparison to the real thing in my opinion.

Are you required to convert it to right-hand drive in order for it to be street legal over there?

Thanks for the General Lee info - very interesting.  I read somewhere that they destroyed over 200 Chargers during the filming of the original series.  Seems like an absolute waste.  But I'd also heard that demand and values for Chargers suddenly spiked after the Dukes movie in 2005.  In the long run, I assume many more examples have been saved because of the tv and movie exposure.

I totally agree that the Aus Charger is not quite in the same league as the Dodge.  I owned a 318 Aus Charger back in the 80's and thought it was the best looking car on the road - until the first time I saw a Dodge Charger in the flesh at a car show.  It was love at first site    I feel very privileged to own one now!

A few years ago, new registration laws were introduced over here to allow cars over 30 years of age to be legally registered as left-hand drive.  Before that, it was very expensive to convert to RHD, particularly for Mopars, as they were less common that Mustangs, Chevs, etc.  Back then, importing and converting was not really an option for the average joe.

[bullitt440]

Gidday mate, 68's see the best lookin ones, all those other guys are so misguided.
I seem to remember seeing a movie like that once
Black cars really suck to keep clean, just ask Fred  
Congrats and well done on the purchase anyway, whack up a few more pics when you get a chance


Bob in NZ

Here's a few more pics

[Fred]

I'd say you've got it made.   You've got to be grinning from ear to ear.

[bullitt440]

I'd say you've got it made. 

Hopefully there's no hidden surprises awaiting...

Do you source your parts from anyone in particular?  I see there are a couple of local suppliers and some of the more common parts are avilable through them.

[polywideblock]

Elko performance in Vic for  panels and parts ,valiant spares on the gold coast for engine parts might be a bit closer  to you 

[MaximRecoil]

Thanks for the General Lee info - very interesting.  I read somewhere that they destroyed over 200 Chargers during the filming of the original series.  Seems like an absolute waste.  But I'd also heard that demand and values for Chargers suddenly spiked after the Dukes movie in 2005.  In the long run, I assume many more examples have been saved because of the tv and movie exposure.

Probably closer to 300 of them. Of course, when the show started in 1979 they were just 10- and 11-year-old cars on the normal "used car" market. You could probably find them easily at used car lots and in classified ads, kind of like if you were looking for a 2002 or 2003 Mustang or whatever today. And they didn't even have to be fussy, any '68 or '69 Charger would do, except for maybe one with a sunroof (even then, a piece of roof skin from an already wrecked Charger and some Bondo easily solves a sunroof problem).

Chrysler made a combined total of 185,307 '68 and '69 Chargers, so 300 of them isn't much from that perspective, and I agree that the interest in second-generation Chargers that show created more than made up for it, resulting in far more than 300 examples being saved that otherwise would have been crusher bait.

A few years ago, new registration laws were introduced over here to allow cars over 30 years of age to be legally registered as left-hand drive.  Before that, it was very expensive to convert to RHD, particularly for Mopars, as they were less common that Mustangs, Chevs, etc.  Back then, importing and converting was not really an option for the average joe.

That's awesome. Not only does that save you a lot of money, but even if it cost nothing to convert to RHD, it is nice to not have to hack up the car's original factory configuration.

You probably already know this, but your car originally had a vinyl top. Someone removed it and filled in the C-pillar seams between the quarter panels and roof skin and either repainted the whole car or just the roof. They didn't bother to remove the vinyl top molding around the base of the C-pillar and fill the mounting holes. The same thing was done to most General Lees too. The story goes that when building the early General Lees, they intended to delete the C-pillar molding to make them look like real non-vinyl top cars, but it was so rusty under there that they said screw it and left it on. Since most Chargers had vinyl tops from the factory, so did most General Lees have the C-pillar molding for it. There were some true non-vinyl top Chargers that showed up on the show as the General Lee from time to time however.

[Fred]

Elko performance in Vic for  panels and parts ,valiant spares on the gold coast for engine parts might be a bit closer  to you  

That's the place to go. They've got the most sheet metal outside of America.
And Roadrunner for glass.

[JB400]

Your car looks pretty solid on the outside.  How is it underneath?

[tan top]

Gidday mate, 68's see the best lookin ones, all those other guys are so misguided.
I seem to remember seeing a movie like that once
Black cars really suck to keep clean, just ask Fred  
Congrats and well done on the purchase anyway, whack up a few more pics when you get a chance


Bob in NZ

Here's a few more pics

[bullitt440]

Elko performance in Vic for  panels and parts ,valiant spares on the gold coast for engine parts might be a bit closer  to you 

thanks for that 

What parts are common between the B-Bodies and the Aus Valiants?  I imagine brake, suspension and driveline would have some parts in common? 

[bullitt440]

Your car looks pretty solid on the outside.  How is it underneath?

The rails and floor look amazingly good.  I'm led to believe the car spent most of it's life in California, but the trunk floor pan is a total mess.  It will have to be completely replaced.  One of the first tasks will be to get the trunk cancer sorted and apply plenty of fish oil.

[68r/t]

Congratulations on the car,,, Mine looked the same as yours when I got it and I was also thinking of going black but the thought of the constant dusting etc put me off.
I repainted mine in the original TT1 green and in the sun it looks great as the silver/gold metallic really comes out, mine has the pearl white interior which helps break up all the green also.

Wow!!  Your Charger looks fantastic and the green really is magnificent in the sunlight.  

Thanks for posting your pic - very inspiring  

I personally still think black is the "supreme ruler" of colours on chargers but its the upkeep that kept me away, is yours TT1 green?
I used Elko for some parts,  I got the magnum 500s from there as it was only $50 more to get them here compared to importing them myself, and I didn't have to wait 6 weeks for them to arrive  but pretty much everything I got was direct from the USA.
Just be carefull of the shipping costs so shop around, out of all the vendors I used over the 5 years it took me to do mine I only had issues with one, he was a ebay seller and has now shut up shop and I got my money back through paypal.
I found most company's were more than happy to deal with overseas customers, I had a great experience with megaparts and BEA and ended sourcing many parts from there.

[Bob T]

Elko performance in Vic for  panels and parts ,valiant spares on the gold coast for engine parts might be a bit closer  to you 

thanks for that 

What parts are common between the B-Bodies and the Aus Valiants?  I imagine brake, suspension and driveline would have some parts in common? 

Nothing that I can think of. They just look like big Vals underneath, umm, oil filters are the same for 265/440 I recall .
Oh, and probably the dual tone horns. But the stainless tulip shifter knob out of a VC is the identical and much sexier upgrade for the chromed plastic Dodge one 

[fy469rtse]

The only cars that are in common are the early Phoenix's 62 to 64 share the same front suspension components like top arms and such, don't be afraid to by direct your self, lots of great company's like summit racing , Mancini racing ,and for you low buck stock replacement parts try rock auto.com,
You might save a few bucks , never hurts to look first and compare, oh by the way a very good starting point , car looks to be in great shape

[bullitt440]

I personally still think black is the "supreme ruler" of colours on chargers but its the upkeep that kept me away, is yours TT1 green?

I believe it's the medium green metallic, but the paint is heavily oxidised so it's difficult to tell    I assume its stamped on the option plate under the hood?  I've wet sanded and buffed a small section and it looks like it'll clean up reasonably well.

I used Elko for some parts,  I got the magnum 500s from there as it was only $50 more to get them here compared to importing them myself, and I didn't have to wait 6 weeks for them to arrive  but pretty much everything I got was direct from the USA.
Just be carefull of the shipping costs so shop around, out of all the vendors I used over the 5 years it took me to do mine I only had issues with one, he was a ebay seller and has now shut up shop and I got my money back through paypal.
I found most company's were more than happy to deal with overseas customers, I had a great experience with megaparts and BEA and ended sourcing many parts from there.

Thanks for the tips, much appreciated!

What size wheel/tyre combination did you go for with your Magnums?

[bullitt440]

Nothing that I can think of. They just look like big Vals underneath, umm, oil filters are the same for 265/440 I recall .
Oh, and probably the dual tone horns. But the stainless tulip shifter knob out of a VC is the identical and much sexier upgrade for the chromed plastic Dodge one 

Thanks for the info - I'll definately keep an eye out for a VC shifter knob   

[bullitt440]

The only cars that are in common are the early Phoenix's 62 to 64 share the same front suspension components like top arms and such, don't be afraid to by direct your self, lots of great company's like summit racing , Mancini racing ,and for you low buck stock replacement parts try rock auto.com,
You might save a few bucks , never hurts to look first and compare, oh by the way a very good starting point , car looks to be in great shape

Cool, I'll check out those suppliers.  I've had a look at Summit Racing and I was impressed with their range and pricing.  Good to know they have a great reputation as well.

[polywideblock]

also don't forget eBay .com, not ebay.com.au.  lots of suppliers have eBay stores  and you can find most parts, in 5 years of buying from the us i'v only had one item not arrive and pay pal covered that !   

[68 Charger RDR 838]

Yeah guys, thanks for your advice and comments. I am the other lucky guy to be sharing "Bullitt 440"s 68 project.
Got off to a rocky start with a 12 month wait for shipping to Australia, but now that it's arrived we couldn't be happier and keen to get stuck into it !!
Just saw the thread showing the 68 on show at Summit, wow there is some inspiration for us !! So what are your thoughts on should you bumble bee stripe a black car or not ? seems to look awesome both ways 

[Fred]

Welcome mate.
I'm all for it.    But not of course if you're going to turn it into the Bullitt car.
As you say though, any which way is awesome!  It's the body itself that makes the car. The rest is just embellishment.

[bullitt440]

Yeah guys, thanks for your advice and comments. I am the other lucky guy to be sharing "Bullitt 440"s 68 project.
Got off to a rocky start with a 12 month wait for shipping to Australia, but now that it's arrived we couldn't be happier and keen to get stuck into it !!
Just saw the thread showing the 68 on show at Summit, wow there is some inspiration for us !! So what are your thoughts on should you bumble bee stripe a black car or not ? seems to look awesome both ways 

Cheers bro and welcome!!   

Worth the wait, now that she's here 

A wealth of knowledge and experience on this site, and plenty of supportive people!

Enjoy the good times 

[68r/t]

I personally still think black is the "supreme ruler" of colours on chargers but its the upkeep that kept me away, is yours TT1 green?

I believe it's the medium green metallic, but the paint is heavily oxidised so it's difficult to tell    I assume its stamped on the option plate under the hood?  I've wet sanded and buffed a small section and it looks like it'll clean up reasonably well.

I used Elko for some parts,  I got the magnum 500s from there as it was only $50 more to get them here compared to importing them myself, and I didn't have to wait 6 weeks for them to arrive  but pretty much everything I got was direct from the USA.
Just be carefull of the shipping costs so shop around, out of all the vendors I used over the 5 years it took me to do mine I only had issues with one, he was a ebay seller and has now shut up shop and I got my money back through paypal.
I found most company's were more than happy to deal with overseas customers, I had a great experience with megaparts and BEA and ended sourcing many parts from there.

Thanks for the tips, much appreciated!

What size wheel/tyre combination did you go for with your Magnums?

Mines medium green metallic aswell, I put 15x7 with 245/60 on the front and 15x8 with 295/50 on the rear, 10 inch rims will going on the back soon tho.
Heres a pic of how I got it   

[bullitt440]

Mines medium green metallic aswell, I put 15x7 with 245/60 on the front and 15x8 with 295/50 on the rear, 10 inch rims will going on the back soon tho.
Heres a pic of how I got it   

Looks like you had a very good example from the outset 

When I had a look, TT1 is the paint code listed on the option plate under the hood.

I'll be very keen to see how the 10 inch rims look   

[remta1]

Kelvins got 10 inch rims on his ..me thinks once you see , :yesnod:you will like

[TPR]

Welcome. Good to see another 2nd Gen in the country.
TPR

[Bob T]

Ok since Remta outed me, I'll put a pic up, 15 x 10 5'' b.s. rears with 295/50/15, air shocks for that period 70's retro feeling  

[remta1]

just call me jase 

[Mopar Nut]

Ok since Remta outed me, I'll put a pic up, 15 x 10 5'' b.s. rears with 295/50/15, air shocks for that period 70's retro feeling  

That's one sweet 68.